“Sincerely, I am not guilty,” Benzema told TF1. “I’m being dragged through the mud and treated like a criminal.

“What happened? It is simple. I have heard there is a video of him [Valbuena] and I have told him. I told him I could help him because I have a friend in Lyon who can manage these problems.

“I told him that if he had told his family already, he could let this go. I told him I have experienced these sort of things in the past.

“We never spoke about money. I earn a good living and when I help someone, I don’t expect anything back.

“Valbuena thanked me the day I told him. What I do regret though, is this conversation with [my friend Karim] Zenati. I regret it because we laughed. I think it was understandable. It was spontaneous. I would have liked to be able to get in contact with Valbuena to apologise.